Welcome to Kindergarten!

There is a wonderful sense of home when you walk through the front doors of Samsula Academy. I deeply believe that your child will find our school to be a warm and friendly place. I am very proud to be a part of the Samsula Academy School family. Once you have opened those doors you are a member of our family too.

I wish to welcome you to Kindergarten. Kindergarten is a new and exciting time for you and your child. It’s a time of change… new beginnings, new friends, new challenges and exciting discoveries! I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere appreciation for allowing me to be a part of your child’s life during this precious time of growth and discovery!

This is my honor to welcome you and your child into Kindergarten and into… my life. I will do my best to make this year in Kindergarten enjoyable but also filled with academics. My motto is: “The seeds I plant today will blossom into a flower tomorrow.” It will be my pleasure and privilege to watch your child’s personality and learning abilities blossom and unfold day by day.

I run a very effective classroom which is well structured but allows for fun and growth. I hold high expectations for all my students. Furthermore, I strongly believe in differentiated instruction. Research reveals that all students learn differently. Therefore, I plan my lessons to meet the needs of all students. It will be my honor to expand the growing minds of tomorrow and encourage them to become the great leaders of the new generation.

You will find very useful information on this blog. I will update it with events that are happening in our classroom, student work, and other related events. If you have any questions, you may contact me at cgibbs@readingedgeacademy.org

-Mr. Christopher Gibbs

Gung Hay Fat Choy!






Gung Hay Fat Choy! We have been celebrating the Chinese New Year this week in our classroom in addition to learning about former president’s George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. This was a short week and was over before we knew it. We did many fun activities this week and learned a lot. Today marked the 110th day of school. There are 70 more days before the end of kindergarten!

In reading, we learned about the –ip word family. We built words through rhyme. Because children knew the word dip, they could name other –ip words by naming rhyming words. Children created their own spelling list this week with these words. We reviewed all primer words this week. Your child was assessed and we were very impressed. Nearly everyone has mastered the entire set of words. The ones, who did not, missed it by only a few. Your child can now recognize pre-primer and primer words. Next week, we are moving on to the first grade set. Are you ready?

We read books about our presidents this week. I was impressed by their knowledge of former presidents George Washington and Abe Lincoln. Students were able to identify them and tell me they were both presidents. We learned more about them this week. We learned about their early life, their presidency, and how we remember them today. Children also got into a discussion about our current president. I was very impressed that children could name Obama as our current president. These children are up to date on their current events.
We read a book about what it would be like to be president. We also write stories this week. “I would like to be president because I do not have to cook,” said one student. This student further said, “I will cut Mr. Gibbs’ bills.” {There goes by vote!} “I do not want to be president because it sounds like too much work,” said another.

In math, we learned how to read picture graphs and tally tables. Children knew how to do each by the end of the week. Next week, we are moving on to measurement.
Afternoon workshops were a hit. We read a weekly reader magazine about the Chinese New Year. We made different crafts in honor of this celebration. We made a Chinese calendar, a dragon/lion dance craft, and a Chinese lantern. These items will currently be on display in the office.

Remember next week is early release. If you have not done so, we need your permission forms and money for our upcoming field study. We will be learning about dental health next week and will even have a visit from a dentist on Monday.

We are still in need of shoe boxes! We are also beginning to collect gallon jugs for our Easter baskets. Thanks!

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